Home > Letters to CRJackie Estrada on the 2008 Eisner Awards (PR)posted July 31, 2008

With a theme of "The Magic of Comics," the 20th Annual Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards, held July 25th during Comic-Con International in San Diego, got off to a rousing start with a keynote speech by comics creator/director Frank Miller. During the rest of the evening the audience was also treated to surprise appearances by Samuel L. Jackson and Gabriel Macht, stars of The Spirit, the film adaptation of Will Eisner's classic comics series directed by Miller. The film, which will be released in theaters by Lionsgate and Odd Lot Entertainment this Christmas, was the title sponsor for this year's awards.

Jackson and Macht were among the presenters who announced the nominees and recipients in 30 Eisner Awards categories. This year's Eisner voters spread the wealth to recipients from nearly 20 publishers, with no creator or project earning more than two awards.

Brazilian brothers Bá and Moon were also on stage to accept the Best Anthology award for 5, a self-published anthology with Becky Cloonan, Vasilis Lolos, and Rafael Grampá. The boys from Brazil set the tone for the evening with their infectious enthusiasm for creating comics.

DC Comics, which has traditionally been the dominant publisher in the Eisners, this year had three winners and shared in two others. Two of those wins were for Brian K. Vaughan's recently concluded Y: The Last Man: Best Continuing Series and Best Penciller-Inker team (Pia Guerra and Jose Marzan Jr.), published by Vertigo/DC. Guerra was on hand to accept both the awards.

Only two other publishers had multiple winners: Archaia Press, for David Petersen's Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 (Best Publication for Kids, Best Graphic Album–Reprint) and Fantagraphics, for Fletcher Hanks' I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! (Best Archival Collection) and Jason's I Killed Adolf Hitler (Best U.S. Edition of International Material).

Besides Powell, Bá, Moon, Whedon, Vaughan, and Guerra the only individual to score two trophies was James Jean (Best Cover Artist, Best Publication Design). Todd Klein took home his 14th Best Lettering award, while Ed Brubaker scored his second consecutive Best Writer trophy, giving Marvel Comics its only win. Two perennial alt-comics Eisner recipients also had 2008 wins: Dan Clowes, for "Mr. Wonderful" in the New York Times Sunday Magazine as Best Short Story, and Chris Ware as Best Writer/Artist for his self-published Acme Novelty Library #18. Newcomer Nick Abadzis took home the Best Publication for Teens award for Laika, his graphic novel about the first dog in space, while Chuck BB was given the award for Special Recognition for his art on Oni Press's Black Metal.

The two big graphic novel awards went to critically acclaimed books. Rutu Modan's Exit Wounds (published by Drawn & Quarterly) was named Best Graphic Album–New, while Best Reality-Based Work went to James Sturm and Rich Tomasso's Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow (published by Hyperion).

The awards were handed out in magic-punctuated ceremony MC'd by Bongo Comics' Bill Morrison, aided onstage by his actress wife, Kayre. Besides Jackson and Macht, presenters included Jane Wiedlin of Go-Gos fame, accompanied by 10 Stormtroopers; TV celebs Tom Lennon and Ben Garant of Reno 911, who gave consolation prizes of George Forman grills to the losers in one category; SpongeBob SquarePants voice Tom Kenny; writer/director Paul Dini and his wife magician Misty Lee, who materialized on stage out of a box; nominees Gerard Way (better known as the lead singer of My Chemical Romance), Gabriel Bá and Ann Marie Fleming; actress Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (granddaughter of the Major); and Comic-Con special guests Len Wein, Joe Staton, Al Jaffee, and Rutu Modan.

Sergio Aragonés once again presented the Hall of Fame awards. Douglas Wheeler-Nicholson, accepted the award for his father, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, who published the first comic book with all-new material back in 1935. Cartoonist Mike Peters accepted on behalf of R. F. Outcault (The Yellow Kid, Buster Brown), Mike W. Barr accepted for DC writer John Broome, Jerry Robinson accepted for writer Arnold Drake, and Gary Groth accepted for artist Barry Windsor-Smith. On hand to accept his Hall of Fame award was writer Len Wein, co-creator of Swamp Thing and Wolverine.

Among the other awards given out over the evening were the Comic-Con's Clampett and Manning awards. The Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, presented by Bob's daughter Ruth, went to DC Comics publisher Paul Levitz, who was visibly touched by the honnor. The winner of the Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award was Cathy Malkasian, writer/artist of Percy Gloom (published by Fantagraphics).

Mark Evanier and Jerry Robinson presented the fourth annual Bill Finger Awards for Excellence in Comic Book Writing to two individuals: popular Warren/Marvel/DC writer/editor Archie Goodwin, whose award was accepted by Ann Murphy Goodwin, and Marvel writer Larry Lieber, who was on hand to accept for himself. Maggie Thompson (editor of Comics Buyers Guide) once again handled the special In Memoriam salute.

The Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailing Award was presented by Joe Ferrara, after a brief tribute to the late Rory Root (owner of Comic Relief in Berkeley, CA), who had been one of the first recipients of the award. This year's winner was Brave New World Comics of Newhall, California, owned by Atom! and Portlyn Freeman.